Self-Affirmation Has the Power to Offset the Harmful Effects of Money Reminders

Ji Kyung Park, University of Delaware, USAKathleen Vohs, University of Minnesota, USA

Past research has shown that money reminders encourage the pursuit of personal goals and separateness from others, which ultimately detracts from the interpersonal self. We proposed and found that self-affirmation reduces these adverse effects of money primes, and enhances people’s motivation to care about others.